Whats the best place local?

7/7/2009 4:04:40 PM

Take it through State. It's a semester long class. But infinintely worth the money you'll save and the quality of education. There are a crap ton of threads in the Study Hall. PE 226.

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=436002

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=544538

here are a few!

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 4:13 PM. Reason : ]

7/7/2009 4:07:38 PM

ScubaSteve

7/7/2009 4:21:51 PM

What if you aren't in school?

7/7/2009 4:31:43 PM

You can still take it through State, like you could take any other class without working towards a degree. Ultimately, the tuition costs are not that much. Dive shops can charge incredible fees for taking Open Water classes.

However, if you MUST go the dive shop route, I'd look into NADCO first (in Greensboro), then Down Under in Raleigh/Cary (off of Tryon rd).

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 4:36 PM. Reason : n]

7/7/2009 4:36:07 PM

in da wawta

Quote :

" infinintely"

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 4:41 PM. Reason : b]

7/7/2009 4:40:25 PM

^Hey! Thanks for pointing out my misspelling, I really appreciate it! No one ever would have been able to interpret my post without knowing infinintely was supposed to be infinitely!

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 4:48 PM. Reason : ]

7/7/2009 4:45:47 PM

dive shops weren't expensive to take the course at, at least not when i lived in FL and did it there. I think it was maybe $250-300, and half of that was buying mask/fins/snorkel.

7/7/2009 5:34:53 PM

I concur with Josh, apparently it is MUCH cheaper in FL.

7/7/2009 9:55:09 PM

Weird question: whats the minimum time between diving and flying?

7/7/2009 10:02:54 PM

http://tinyurl.com/ma6gvc

Look at the bottom of the first link.

7/7/2009 10:12:24 PM

^^ It depends on the depth, duration, and frequency of the dives, as well as the altitude of the flight. In general, for a recreational diver using plain air, 24 hours is plenty. In the military, there's a 24 hour restriction regardless, across the board.

You can fly and then dive without any problem, though.

7/7/2009 11:08:45 PM

Death #: 713 http://tinyurl.com/ndahgz

Down Under does a lot of training in Fantasy Lake in Rolesville, which isn't particularly bad, but it's kinda murky. If they have a group going to VA for certification dives in Lake Rawlings, that might be a better choice for a beginner. Of course there's all the springs in High Springs, FL that are just awesome, clearest water you ever will see. Problem with the springs is that they're always chilly and there's frankly not much to see unless you're a cave diver. Some shops go there regularly because of the nice and controlled conditions though.

7/8/2009 1:18:15 AM

can't you get scuba certified at a YMCA? i might have made this up in my head...but i thought maybe you could.

7/8/2009 1:35:17 AM

the NCSU course costs ~480 bucks as a lifelong education student.

I took PE226 after I graduated. Just went to class on my lunch break a few days a week.

300 bucks at a private dive shop gets you ~20 hours of pool time, 5-10 hours of classroom instruction.

500 bucks at state gets you 100+ hours of pool time, 20+ hours of classroom, conditioning, basic rescue, and Nitrox certification.

7/8/2009 1:35:50 AM

^ I would love to do state, but im unsure if ill be able to get out of class.

7/8/2009 8:57:27 AM

Quote :

"Of course there's all the springs in High Springs, FL that are just awesome, clearest water you ever will see. Problem with the springs is that they're always chilly and there's frankly not much to see unless you're a cave diver."

I LOVE High Springs. It is chilly as hell, but it's SO worth it to go.

7/8/2009 11:46:56 AM

I love High Springs. It is one of my absolute favorite places to dive. The water can seem chilly in the summer, but it's nice because it's about 72* year round, so it feels pretty warm in the winter. There's a ton to do, even without a cave certification, and it's some of the nicest, clearest water you'll probably ever see. Not too far away you can go diving with the manatees too.

7/8/2009 11:49:43 AM

Water World out of Durham, NC is a good local PADI shop. I believe the class is over 2 weekends or something. Its been a long time since I took it. The cost of the class is like $129, then you have to buy the book and DVD. You will also have to cough up $15 a day for the two days at rolesville for the open water portion. All in all, I think its less than $200 total. I know most of the Dive Instructors there and they are good, excluding one of them who I will not mention since he mostly does the upper level courses. He is good at those, but does not take the time to properly teach the basics as he thinks you should just know it. Anyways, my opinion. I would try and get Dive Instructor Weksler if I could, he is a Master Instructor and really takes the time to teach you and make sure you getting the material and skills down.

7/8/2009 11:52:11 AM